FromSoftware is ready to play with their established formula: "We want NightReign to feel like an evolution of the Elden Ring combat system"

There are some developers who, as a games journalist, are considered the holy grail when it comes to accessing them. They are the ones who are not only brilliant, but also a little shy. I've never spoken to, for example, Playdead, even though they live just around the corner from me. Another developer in this category, albeit from much further afield, is Japan's FromSoftware, who, as well as having made some of my favourite games of all-time, is one of the developers I've never spoken to. So, when the chance arose for an hour-long interview with NightReign's director Junya Ishizaki, I jumped at the chance.

The interview was a roundtable with five games media and twice the number of PR reps on the call, so the picture from FromSoftware's meeting room wasn't much bigger than a postage stamp. And since there were five of us asking questions in turn and all questions went through an interpreter, it would be a shame to say it was the most personal interview I've ever done.

However, as we all know, you have to be careful not to be a complainer, because it's always nice to talk to the developers - even when the situation is VERY controlled. And now I've at least seen what one of the developer meeting rooms looks like. LIVE! Now that's insight.

For the uninitiated, Elden Ring: NightReign is FromSoftware's take on the roguelike genre in a co-op format. Together with two other players (solo is also an option and two players are still being considered), you fight your way through hordes of enemies to fortify yourself before the inevitable encounter with the game's many bosses. NightReign is sold separately and has been in development since late 2021 by a smaller team at FromSoftware.

• Don't miss: Elden Ring: NightReign Preview: A Hands-Trembling, Heart-Racing Experience

Gamereactor: How did you come up with the idea for NightReign and what was behind the desire to experiment with a formula many know and love?

Ishizaki: We want NightReign to feel like an evolution of the Elden Ring combat system (which Ishizaki has worked on). We appreciate that players know and love combat in our games, so we wanted to create a new system where they can enjoy it from a new perspective. In Elden Ring, the boss battles are where it all culminates, but in NightReign we want it to feel more like the ebb and flow. Overall, it's about taking the things people love and condensing them into a format that still focuses on the long-term strategy.

The original Elden Ring opened up your game to a lot of new people through things like the open world and summons. NightReign seems to be less forgiving. Was it designed with a more dedicated player base in mind?

Ishizaki: We want new and existing players to understand that NightReign is built from the ground up as a completely new game. It has spin-off mechanics and aesthetics that are an extension of Elden Ring, and players have different expectations based on that. But we think of it as a completely new experience, and we've built it based on our experience with Elden Ring. We want players to have that sense of discovery and struggle against the unknown, so we hope that carries over and people can experience that again with NightReign.

Conversely, do you think that NightReign, with its different structure, can appeal to people who don't normally play your games?

Ishizaki: NightReign is not necessarily designed with a wider audience in mind, but we want to make it a bit more accessible in some areas. Players who felt intimidated by the size of the Elden Ring and its many systems might feel that NightReign is more approachable. One example is the characters. Personally, I struggle to create my character every time I play one of our games, so here the process is much more streamlined. So while many enjoy the more intricate aspects of our games, we wanted it to be more straightforward to get started playing. That was a main focus in terms of design.

How much lore and history will there be and will it be connected to the Elden Ring?

Ishizaki: The lore and story are completely separate from Elden Ring. We want it to be a whole new experience, and the game's focus on multiplayer is very different from what Elden Ring had. So, there's less focus on the world and its lore, and more focus on the individual characters and their background. There are parallels to the Elden Ring universe, but think of it as its own thing.

Why was it decided not to use AI companions?

Ishizaki: We wanted NightReign to be a multiplayer-focused game, so we didn't want people to opt out by playing with AI-controlled mates. We feel that real players contribute to the game's emergent gameplay, so we wanted to keep the focus on multiplayer and people playing together. There aren't really any major content differences between playing solo or as a trio. However, it will be harder to play alone.

There are eight Night Lords in the game. Do they get harder and harder and do you start with the same gear each time?

Ishizaki: Yes, the difficulty of the Night Lords varies, but there is no set order in which you have to complete them. We want to give players the freedom to choose which boss they want to take on once they are unlocked. Part of the appeal of the structure is that you can choose your own path through the game. And the character building and exploration of the map are some of the things that will make each run fresh and unique.

How do you use special events like Margit's surprise attack or meteor storms to shape the experience?

Ishizaki: The encounters with bosses like Margit are essentially the same type of random events as the meteor storm you mention. One is just a boss encounter, while the other is a world map encounter. We introduce them so that each run feels different and keeps players on their toes and makes them make choices.

Speaking of bosses, NightReign features bosses from the Dark Souls series. What was the thinking behind including them in the game from both a mechanical and lore perspective?

Ishizaki: The older bosses in the game are included more for gameplay reasons rather than lore. We wanted to have a lot of variety, and as a director I felt it would be fun to meet these bosses in a new setting and with new gameplay systems. And we wanted the world of NightReign to feel like a mash-up of previous experiences and titles, so it seemed like a good place to include these bosses.

Are the red corpses you come across other players who have died?

Ishizaki: Yes, they are. When you come across them, you can pick up their equipment and use it, passing the torch for them. It's an asynchronous element that is designed to give a sense of community and cohesion with other players.

Although FromSoftware has experience with multiplayer, NightReign still feels like a new chapter in your story. What was it like personally working in a new genre and what were some of the challenges you faced?

Ishizaki: Yes, approaching this as a new genre and with a focus on multiplayer definitely presented some challenges during development. We have optimised and refined our design and processes over a long series of games, so changing this was a big challenge in itself. But we always strive to create new and interesting experiences with our games, so we were up for the challenge - both in terms of roguelike and multiplayer. We hope the end result is rewarding for our players.